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Read our Tips on how to design a lead generating exhibition stand for your brand.

Read our Tips on how to design a lead generating exhibition stand for your brand.

Exhibitions or Trade shows are an ideal way to generate new leads for your business. Even with all the readily available marketing tools at our disposal these days, meeting face-to-face is still the most effective way to develop a professional relationship. Not only that, but exhibition halls are filled with highly-targeted prospects actively looking to connect within your specific industry.

To help you get the most from your exhibiting experience, we’ve highlighted 5 rules to follow which will help you generate those valuable leads at your next trade show.

Rule #1 First impressions count – Communicate your brand message in 3 seconds or less.

Small - Medium Exhibition Stands

There is nothing more important than making a good solid first impression. Apparently your first opinion of someone forms in only one tenth of a second. With a brand, they say your first opinion takes only one fifth of a second (…..and 94% of this is design related.)

OK, so we know 99 % of statistics are made up on the spot! – but there is certainly some truth in a first impression being formed within a very short space of time. And it is much harder to shake a bad impression once made than it is to create a good one in the first place.

Make sure your exhibition stand communicates your message clearly and succinctly. Don’t confuse your prospects. If you are launching a new product, make the whole display about that. If you are introducing a new brand – then branding should be your focus.

People are essentially lazy and need to be guided as to where to look and how to navigate your stand. When done properly, good design along with clear and engaging graphics will do most of the work for you.

Rule #2 Monkey see Monkey do! – People gravitate towards other people.

 

When you get the choice of a crowded restaurant next to an empty one, people will choose the crowded restaurant. The theory is that it’s more popular so it must be better. The same effect applies to exhibition stands on a busy trade show floor.

No-one likes to feel they are on their own or the odd-man out so they don’t want to be the first to venture onto an empty exhibition stand. People are inherently more comfortable if they are one of the pack.

Some exhibitors will employ “spruikers” to entice people in. But here’s another (….and much cheaper) idea; get your own employees to act like visitors and create a buzz around your stand. Get staff to interact with each other (…but obviously make sure your stand managers are free to engage with the real prospects.)

Rule #3 Interaction is engaging – Give your visitors something to do.

Interaction between your brand and your visitors is beneficial to both parties. If you can get potential customers to employ some kind of physical connection with your brand, it will help them remember you – and you can use the interaction to collect data and information.

Whether it is in the form of a competition where prospects leave their details – or as a ‘hands-on’ demonstration of one of your products or even just a backdrop for photos to upload on social media platforms, anything which involves your visitors interacting and connecting in some way can only be a good thing.

Rule #4 Don’t sell, ‘Gell’ – Show interest in others and they’ll show interest in you.

Don’t just be about the hard sell. Exhibitions and trade shows are all about creating opportunities, networking and solidifying your brand’s position in your industry. Use your time to create new, and nurture existing relationships by actively showing interest in your visitors, your neighbours and even your competitors.

Ask any visitors about their company and where they came from first. Not only is it useful information for you, but they will naturally follow up by asking you the same. This kind of conversational ‘sell’ is a far more natural approach and more effective than the ‘hard sell’.

You might make some mutually beneficial contacts amongst other exhibitors too. Think about any opportunities which could open up if you were to partner with brands selling different products and services but to the same target market.

Rule #5 Follow up Fast – Don’t give your potential customers time to forget who you are.

Follow up on all your leads as soon as you can after the show. The longer you wait the longer they have to forget who you are.

Visitors will have had many interactions at the trade show, and as much as you want to believe that, as an exhibitor you were different and stood out from the rest, it’s tough for those visitors to remember every single name and product once back in the office.

A quick prompt from you could be all it takes to put your business back in the forefront of their mind. Don’t be afraid of reaching out too quickly. The day after the show is not too soon to follow up with potential prospects. Waiting too long will dilute the connection.


If you need help with your next exhibition or trade show contact Exhibitionco today and call on our many years of experience in the exhibition industry.

Top Ten Reasons Why Exhibiting at a trade show is the best bang for your Marketing buck.

Top Ten Reasons Why Exhibiting at a trade show is the best bang for your Marketing buck.

1.  To Showcase your Services

Trade shows offer vendors a highly targeted audience within their respective industries. Professionals in those industries are motivated to attend trade shows knowing they will find the latest technology and concepts currently influencing their profession. Your particular services will be on show for decision makers in your industry who actually demand them.

2.  To Launch a New Product

If you are in the process of launching a new product or idea into the market, there really is no better platform than a trade show where you will get maximum exposure within a highly focussed group and the opportunity to connect directly with the people within your industry who matter.

3. To Boost Brand Visibility

It doesn’t matter if you’re one of the bigger players in your industry, a small start-up company, or a niche supplier, you can still establish a presence as a leader or influencer in your specific market by intelligent positioning of your brand. Play to your strengths and make your brand known to both your customers and peers. You want people to know who you are.

4.  To Meet your Target Audience Face to Face

Most marketing avenues channel towards the objective of singling out a potential customer for one-on-one contact; whether that be in the form of generating incoming calls to your business through advertising or encouraging on-line searchers via SEO to fill out forms leaving contact details which can be followed up by your sales team.

Trade shows offer up the absolutely ideal scenario of your potential customers actually coming to you! It is a unique opportunity to increase your brand exposure and connect to consumers on a personal level from the get-go. Nothing beats a hands-on demonstration and eye-to-eye contact when it comes to selling. Allowing your customers to experience your product or services first hand will increase interest in your brand and drive sales.

5.  To Expand your Customer Database

Not only do you reap the benefit of meeting your customers face to face, you could also potentially meet hundreds of them! The amount of highly targeted professionals in your industry under one roof for a limited amount of time is an unparalleled opportunity to increase your viable customer contact list. Make sure you have some form of data collection and processing in place so you don’t miss out on any of those hot leads.

6.  To Research Developments in your Industry

It is important that your brand stays relevant within your industry and the only way you can ensure that is for your business to stay informed of any new products or ideas which may be influencing the industry as a whole. Not only are trade shows the ideal platform from which to market your brand, they also offer up an opportunity to learn about your competitors, find out what’s working, network with your peers and potentially embark upon mutually beneficial relationships which could expand your supply chain.

7.  To Keep an Eye on the Competition

Bigger players in the industry are generally more likely to spend a bit more money at a trade show. They will have the big glossy stands in the centre of the hall. Often they will take a few more risks introducing new technology or ideas which will influence the market as a whole. For this reason it is the ideal opportunity to observe what your competitors are doing so you can gauge the direction your industry market is likely to follow. You can also apply any successful tactics you witness from other brands to your own business. Apart from anything else, being amongst your peers and a group of like-minded people can be highly motivating.

8.  To Expand your Distributor Network

Not all other exhibitors will be in direct competition to you, many will be from other parts of the industry food chain. You may discover new and upcoming businesses hitherto unknown, which could be highly compatible to your own business module. Trade shows are great networking opportunities within your specific industry.

9.  To Expand your Industry Contacts

Even your competitors at a trade show could end up as friends. You never know who you might meet, who might turn out to be mutually beneficial business-wise. Maybe you sell the same product but in different parts of the country – you could come to an agreement to supply your own area and recommend each other to those outside your ‘home turf’. Maybe you can team up with another business selling parts which work in tandem with your product – you could sell as a package and both benefit from each other’s customer database.

 10.  To Obtain direct Feedback and Opinion

There are businesses out there whose sole function is to provide other businesses with feedback on their brand or product. Honest feedback from your customers as to what they need and how they see your brand is one of the most valuable resources you can get when it comes to marketing. It should influence your whole business structure moving forward. 

Trade shows present a unique opportunity to receive real-time feedback from a highly targeted group of people. Apart from face-to-face contact, you could also conduct a short survey, involving some kind of interaction on your stand – maybe rewarding participants with an incentive such as a competition or giveaways. The data you collect will be invaluable.

Laws of attraction. We show you 6 ways you can boost your visibility on the trade show floor.

Laws of attraction. We show you 6 ways you can boost your visibility on the trade show floor.

1. Think outside the ‘box’

Just because your floor plan is defined as a square or rectangle doesn’t mean your exhibition stand design needs to adhere to the usual square or box shape. If you want to stand out from the regular exhibition stands around you try using unusual angles or shapes. Anything which catches the eye and looks slightly incongruous will challenge the onlooker and become a point of interest. This will make your stand more noticeable and more memorable.

Try and look at things from a different angle!

2. Create an optical illusion

Anything which creates a slight optical illusion or makes the onlooker do a double take will create impact. Holograms jumping out into the 3D space, structural design which plays with perspective, projection mapping or printed images continuing across different planes all spark curiosity which, in turn creates intrigue and inquisitiveness.

Sometimes making people work a little to get the message can be a very effective marketing ploy. A bit of a riddle, illusion or something which requires processing by the brain will immediately involve the onlooker as participant and instigate an instant engagement with your brand…and that in turn, will make you more memorable.

3. Don’t waste floor space on boring old flooring

It’s an unfortunate truth these days that a lot of people walk around heads down, staring at screens as they move about the place. So, why not take advantage of our insular behaviour by using your floor space as a graphic canvas!  It also creates a great overall visual impact for your whole stand. Print your message or branding or just something eye-catching on your floor.

Graphic materials offer many options of non-slip, fully-removable self-adhesive print media for carpets, tiles or even concrete. A very effective use of graphics can employ the ‘optical illusion’ from our last point by continuing the same image across the different planes of wall and floor creating a fully immersive space.

4. Make lighting a feature

Stand designers are well aware of the power of lighting. Using certain colours and intensity, lighting can evoke different moods, highlight a specific object or area, create focus or even just become a feature in itself. With the progress of AV technology, options are endless. Highly effective sound-responsive or interactive lighting features can be easily incorporated in your overall stand design to great effect.

5. Get creative with materials and textures

Industrial and organic textures are very popular at the moment and particularly on trend is mixing seemingly incongruous textures together such as metals and live greenery, wood and concrete, reflective and high gloss surfaces with matte and brick finishes.

The use of cheaper materials such as cardboard, ply-wood and MDF are also very popular and even making the raw appearance and finish of such materials a feature of the overall showcase.

Not so long ago it was all about hiding all aspects of construction such as joins, hinges or handles and to make everything look as seamless as possible. Now it is all the rage to make any inconsistencies in the structure integral to the design itself. Even highlighting and exaggerating construction elements creating the overall visual impact of ‘Industrial Chic’ – is right on trend!

6. Be theatrical! – Turn your stand into a set

Create a ‘set’ rather than just a stand. Combine the whole thing into an experience to fully immerse your visitors. If your product is generally used in a business environment, why not create an office space to showcase your brand in its natural environment!  Print the walls, print the floors, use all senses, put on demos – create an entire ‘scene’ not just an exhibit.

 

 

 

Open for Business – If you can use any of our services please call us on 02 9972 1900

Open for Business – If you can use any of our services please call us on 02 9972 1900

With all that is happening around us at the moment we just wanted to reassure you that ExhibitionCo is open for business.

It’s not exactly ‘business as usual’ as we are adapting each and every day to new developments and advice, with our main priority of keeping our team and customers safe and happy.

The event and exhibition industry has been hit hard with the limitations put on large gatherings of people but we are convinced it will bounce back stronger with businesses and brands needing to be on the front foot when it does.

So we, as a company, are looking to the future and ready to work together or discuss any of your ongoing or upcoming projects to keep your brand in the spotlight through these next few weeks and months.

You may not know this about us but we are
not just about exhibition stands!

Over our 30+ years of being in business we have worked on many diverse projects covering all manner of construction and manufacturing projects including brand activations, point of sale, retail, office fit-outs and project management.

Our huge in-house manufacturing facilities on Sydney’s Northern Beaches include: printing, signage, project management and labour teams.

If you could use any of our services at this time we are
‘Open for Business’ and we’re here to help.

Call us on 02 9972 1900 

Below are just some of the services we offer:
Office fit-outs or upgrades:

Point-of-sale and retail displays:

Signage – 3D Letters, Large Format Printing, Banners, Promotional:

Why you’re going to see temporary Pop-ups popping up everywhere this summer

Why you’re going to see temporary Pop-ups popping up everywhere this summer

A ‘pop-up’, in this context, is a temporary retail space which offers companies a ‘here-today-gone-tomorrow’ sales or marketing environment to showcase a brand or product in a ‘trial size’ platform. Being such a short term venture, a pop-up offers up relatively low-cost opportunities for a company to take some creative risks, have a bit of fun, generate some buzz and introduce their brand to new audiences.

It’s a kind of low-commitment advertising platform which allows emerging brands to experiment a bit with their retail options and, at the same time, create an immersive experience for potential customers without signing up for a ton of overheads involved with a permanent retail location.

To take advantage of the ever evolving shift in shopping behaviours of the general public, brands are increasingly embracing the brave new world of high-tech, high-concept experiential pop-up shops. The retail transformation we’re seeing where consumers are moving from in-store to on-line and prefer experience and interaction with a brand is not just a passing fad, but a by-product of  brands evolving to meet market demands. Continue Reading